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| Shots fired at home of suspended Pak Chief Justice's lawyer | | |
KARACHI, MAY 10
Pakistan's judicial crises took a new turn when unidentified gunmen today fired over a dozen shots at the city residence of one of the senior lawyers defending the suspended Chief Justice, ahead of the top judge's visit here to address a rally on Saturday.
Munir A Malik, also the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, told reporters that about 15 shots had been fired at his residence before dawn, two of which penetrated his 17-year-old daughter's room.
"God was kind and no one was hurt," Malik, who was among the first prominent lawyers who had expressed solidarity with Iftikar M Chaudhry soon after his suspension, said.
Describing the attack as part of a campaign to scare the lawyers and opposition parties from supporting the Chief Justice, the lawyer vowed to stick by Chaudhry.
"It will not deter me from representing the chief justice and we will carry on our campaign for the independence of the judiciary," Malik, who was in his pyjamas, told reporters at his house in an upscale neighbourhood.
Tension is running high in Pakistan with Chaudhry's supporters and the ruling PML-Q which backs President Pervez Musharraf gearing up for a show of strength through rallies here and in Islamabad respectively on March 12. The Mutthaida Qaumi Movement, a partner in the ruling coalition, has also planned a rally in te city on the same day.
"I was watching TV when I heard the burst of gun fire. Initially I thought it was taking place at our neighbour's house. Once I knew that it was aimed at our house I rushed upstairs to help my daughter. The bullets hit the balcony and her bedroom."
Bullets marks were seen at number of places on the house while parts of concrete were knocked out in the balcony.
Malik's daughter Seherzad said when the shots were fired she was working on her computer. "The shots came quickly and my family members all took refugee under the bed and tables. It was very scary."
A senior police official said the investigators had collected the shells from the scene. "It was clearly done to harass the lawyer," Zia Rizvi said.
Sindh Home secretary Brigadier Mohtaram said the officials were looking into the incident.
The incident followed the sealing of Malik's office yesterday by local authorities who claimed that it was being run illegally as it was located in a residential area.
But the office was soon reopened after the Sindh High Court, acting on a petition by Malik, took the Karachi Building Control Authority to task for sealing the building.
Malik's counsel Rasheed A. Rizvi submitted before the court that the KBCA's sealing notice was unconstitutional and had no legal effect. He described the government action as an attempt to sabotage the May 12 lawyers' rally.
As soon as he came to know of today's firing incident, Chaudhry, who resided in his official residence in Islamabad rang up Malik and expressed his concern.
His lawyers said Chaudhry told Malik that the firing was aimed at scaring him so that he does not defend the judge and to deter him from going ahead with Saturday's rally.
The suspension of Chief Justice by President Musharraf on March nine on charges misuse of office had sparked massive protests from lawyers and opposition parties, posing the most serious challenge to the General's authority since he seized power in 1999.
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